Powerlink councils established

SDG&E asks 110 to be local advisers

As San Diego Gas & Electric co. prepares to begin construction on its 120-mile Sunrise Powerlink transmission line, the utility has asked about 110 people to serve on community councils that will suggest how to deal with disruptions caused by the $1.88 billion project.

SDG&E picked the council members from planning groups, school boards, Indian tribes and business organizations in Imperial County, five East County communities and San Diego’s Scripps Ranch neighborhood.

The council members aren’t necessarily fans of the project. Some are among the most vocal opponents of the transmission line, which still faces legal challenges and needs the U.S. Forest Service’s approval before it can proceed. The state Public Utilities Commission has approved the line, which will stretch from Imperial County through East County to San Diego.

San Diego Gas & Electric officials say construction could start in May, although resolving the lawsuits and getting the approval from the Forest Service could take many more months. SDG&E is predicting construction will be finished by 2012.

County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, a longtime critic of SDG&E and an opponent of the Sunrise Powerlink, questioned how the council members were picked and how the community meetings have been conducted in Alpine, Boulevard, Campo, El Centro, Jacumba, Lakeside and Scripps Ranch.

“I’m concerned that SDG&E may not be telling their hand-picked folks on the councils the truth about the adverse impacts on these communities,” Jacob said.

Jacob, who represents East County, said SDG&E notified her that the councils had been established but did not invite her to the meetings.

Laura McDonald, SDG&E’s director of special projects, told council members in Alpine that the utility invited Jacob, but she was unable to attend.

Jacob said SDG&E should have met with local planning groups, made up of elected residents, instead of selecting representatives for the councils.

“If SDG&E really wanted to reach out to the communities, why did they hand pick the individuals?” she said. “Why aren’t the meetings open to the public so anyone in the community can attend?”

As part of the project, SDG&E is setting aside $166 million for environmental mitigation. Some council members say they want to see that money spent in their communities.

“We’re taking the brunt of this project economically and environmentally, and we should be compensated for that,” said Joe Forlenza, ﻿a member of Alpine’s council.

SDG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Briscoe said the councils were set up to provide information on the construction project and get advice on how the work will be carried out.

“We want people to feel engaged, that they have a voice,” Briscoe said.

She said most of the councils will be meeting every few months, but members of the Alpine council have asked to meet monthly because of the effect that construction will have on the East County community of about 17,000 residents.

SDG&E plans to bury the transmission line through 6.2 miles in Alpine, the only part of the Sunrise Powerlink to be underground. Work on the project means that traffic on Alpine Boulevard, which has about 150 stores and businesses, will be disrupted for more than 1½ years.